Wire dispenser

ABSTRACT

The dispenser consists of two dishes secured together at their edges to contain a 500-foot roll of insulated wire. The lower dish has a large central hole with a reentrant coaming fitting the center of the wire roll. The upper dish has a similar central hole except that the coaming extends outward to form a smooth edge through which the wire can be drawn. The outward coaming also forms a hub on which another dispenser can be stacked, with both wire ends from the two dispensers drawn through the uppermost hole.

.l ill: Unite States ten [72] lnventor Charles W. Lewis 4537 E. 8th,Tucson, Ariz. 85711 [21] App1.No 883,218 [22] Filed Dec. 8-, 1969 [45]Patented Aug. 31,1971

[54] WIRE DISPENSER 7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 242/129, 206/52 W, 220/23, 220/83, 242/138 [51] 1nt.Cl B65h49/00 [50] Field of Search 242/129, 137, 137.1, 138, 146; 206/52 W, 59A, 65; 220/97; 221/92, 112, 1 14; 222/129 [56] References Cited UN1TEDSTATES PATENTS 1,836,593 12/1931 Harvey 242/129 2,620,997 12/1952 L on3,054,506 9/1962 Erb Primary E.rr1miner Leonard D. ChristianAllorney-James A. Eyster ABSTRACT: The dispenser consists of two dishessecured together at their edges to contain a 500-foot roll of insulatedwire. The lower dish has a large central hole with a reentrant PATENIEDM1831 l9?! SHEET 1 [IF 2 FIG. 2

FIG.

CAI/[B1155 \NZLEWIS INVENTOR.

@Tj/E C HAPLES W LEWIS INVENTOR.

WIRE DISPENSER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates toreceptacles for containing and dispensing insulated wire, with provisionfor convenient withdrawal of the wire.

Insulated wire is used, usually in l0, l2 and 14 AWG sizes, ininstalling electrical wiring in buildings, equipments and switchboards.Such wire is normally purchased by the user in SOD-foot rolls containedin perishable cardboard boxes. In

drawing the ,wire from the roll the wire is difficult to manage and mayeasily become tangled and kinked. Often the roll of wire becomes atangled mass before it is all used. Usually two or more color-codedrolls are used at the same time, and not only may each get tangled, butthe two may become tangled together.

SUMMARY OF TI-IE INVENTION This invention provides a light, strong boxfor dispensing insulated wire in roll form. The box is separable intotwo halves each in the form of a shallow, circular dish having a centercutout. When the halves are fitted together they form a toroidalshapedbox. The edge of the upper half of the box is flanged out to form ashoulder, so that when the box is assembled the edge of the lower halfmeets the shoulder of the upper half.

In using the box, it is opened and a roll of wire is laid in the lowerhalf. The upper half is then laid on the lower half and the two halvesare fastened together with screws. Because of the flanged toroidalconstruction in which the edge of the lower half of the box meets theshoulder formed in the edge of the upper half, and because of the kindof material used, the dispenser is very strong and can withstand muchabuse.

The inner end of the roll of wire is now drawn through the center holeof the upper half of the box and the wire is ready for utilization.

The center openings of the two boxes are circular and have the samediameter. The opening in the lower half has its edge turned up or inwardto form a hub around whichthe wire roll can be fitted, and the openingin the upper half has its edge turned upward to form a smooth, curvedcoaming, so that the wire can be easily pulled from the box with minimalfriction.

Additionally, because of the way in which the hole edges are turned,boxes can be stacked one on top of the other, and locked together by thehole edges or coamings. Moreover, in shipping as separate halves, byreversing the upper halves, upper and lower halves can be compactlystacked.

One purpose of this invention is to provide a sturdy and lightweightdispenser for insulated electrical wire.

Another purpose is to provide a dispenser from which any length ofinsulated wire up to its capacity can be conveniently drawn, asrequired, while eliminating tangling of the wire.

Another purpose is to provide dispensers which can be compactly stackedwhen several are in use at once.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING A further understanding of thisinvention may be secured from the detailed description and the drawing,in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the lower half of the dispenser.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper half of the dispenser.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of three wire dispensers nested to form astack.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, a dishis formed preferably of plastic which is strong and has no memory. Forexample, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene commonly termed ABS, may beemployed. The thickness for sufficient strength may be in the range of0.078 inch to 0.125 inch, depending on the size of the box. Thedispenser will have a diameter and height suitable for containing a rollof wire ofa selected size.

The circular dish of FIG. 1, constituting the lower half of thedispenser, comprises a floor l1 and a wall 12. The wall is flanged outto form an edge portion 13 having a radius slightly larger than that ofthe body of the wall. The edge portion 13 is pressed out atone point ofits circumference to form an external spline l4. Four-speed nuts of thelocking type, made of tempered sheet metal, are placed on the edgeportion at equally spaced locations 16, 17, 18 and 19. At each locationthe edge of the edge portion is notched to receive the nut so that itwill not project above the edge, and the edge portion is drilled topermit a machine screw to be inserted in the nut during assembly.

In the center of the floor 11 a circular hole is located having adiameter of roughly one-third of the dish diameter. The edge 20 of thehole is formed upward, as shown in the drawing, projecting as a coaminginto the interior-of the dish and joining the floor in a gentle curve.The amount of coaming projection is roughly one twenty-fifth of thediameter of the dish.

The circular dish of FIG. 2, constituting the upper half of thedispenser, is made of the same material as is the lower half, and thematerial has the same thickness. The dish consists of a roof 21 and awall 22. The wall 22 is flanged outward to form a cylindrical edgeflange 23 havingan axial dimension approximately equal to the axialdimension of the edge portion 13, FIG. 1. The junction of the wall andedge flange forms an internal shoulder, externally indicated at 24. Theflange 23 is pressed outward at the position 26 to form an externalridge and an internal slot. The size of this slot is such that thespline 14, FIG. 1, will fit easily into the slot. The diameter of theedge flange is enough larger than the diameter of the edge portion 13,FIG. 1, to allow the edge flange 23 easily to slide over and fit on theedge portion 13. The diameter of the wall 22, FIG. 2, is substantiallyequal to the diameter of the edge portion 13 so that, when the dispenseris assembled, the edge 27 of the lower dish abuts on the internalshoulder 24 of the upper dish.

The internal depth of the upper dish, FIG. 2, from shoulder 24 to theroof 21, plus the internal overall depth of the lower dish, FIG. 1, issufficient to permit the assembled dispenser to contain a roll of wire.

Four holes, such as holes 28 and 29, are drilled at equidistantpositions around the edge flange 23, FIG. 2, and are so positioned withrelation to the slot 26 and the edge of the edge flange that, when thedispenser is assembled with spline and slot engaged, the four holes inthe upper dish register in position with the holes in the speed nuts ofthe lower dish.

The roof 21, FIG. 2, is provided with a circular central hole havingapproximately the same size as the central hole in the lower dish. Theedge 31 of the hole in roof 21 is formed upward in a coaming similar tothat of FIG. 1, except that in FIG. 2 the coaming protrudes outward fromthe dish while in FIG. 1 the coaming protrudes inward. The coaming ofFIG. 2 meets the roof in a gentle curve.

In using the wire dispenser a roll of insulated wire, for example No. l2 AWG, is laid in the lower half shown in FIG. 1. The upper half, FIG.2, is then placed, concave downward, on top of the lower half so thatthe spline 14 slides into the slot 26 and the circular shoulder 24 restson the edge 27. Machine screws are then inserted in the four screwholes, such as holes 28 and 29, and tightened into the four speed nuts16, 17, 18 and 19. Now, by reaching into the center opening in the upperhalf, the user grasps and pulls out the inner end of the coiled wire,ready for use.

If, as is generally the case, two or three colors of wire are requiredin an operation, the electrician can stack the several dispensers one ontop of the other, as shown in FIG. 3, with the dispensers lockedtogether by the upper coamings. The inner ends of the three wire rollscontained by the three dispensers are brought through the middle of thestack and out of the center hole of the top dispenser, as shown by thethree wire ends 32, 33 and 34, FIG. 3.

What is claimed is:

1. A wire dispenser comprising:

a lower circular dish having a floor, a cylindrical wall and a centralaperture, said aperture having an inwardly extending coaming;

an upper circular dish having a roof, a cylindrical wall and a centralaperture, said aperture having an outwardly extending coaming, saidcylindrical wall having an edge flange with an inner diameter largerthan the outer diameter of the edge of said lower dish and in which thewall of the upper dish meets said edge flange to form a circularshoulder having inner and outer diameters equal to the respective innerand outer diameters of the wall of said lower dish at its edge; and

means for fastening said upper dish, concave downward,

onto said lower dish in a concave upward position.

2. A wire dispenser in accordance with claim 1 in which the edge of thewall of said lower dish is expanded into a cylindrical edge portionhaving a diameter greater than that of the wall.

3. A wire dispenser in accordance with claim 2 in which said cylindricaledge portion contains an external axial spline and in which said edgeflange of the upper dish contains an internal slot matching said spline.

4. A wire dispenser in accordance with claim 1 in which said centralapertures in lower and upper dishes are circular and have the samediameters.

5. A wire dispenser in accordance with claim 1 in which said means forfastening comprises a plurality of speed nuts and matching machinescrews.

6. A wire dispenser in accordance with claim 1 in which the upper andlower dishes are made of a moldable plastic material having a highimpact strength and having negligible memory.

7. A wire dispenser comprising a lower dish made ofacrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene having a thickness in the range 0.078inch to 0.125 inch, said dish having a flat floor and a cylindrical wallhaving a selected inner radius;

a cylindrical edge portion of said wall having an inner radius exceedingsaid selected radius;

a central circular opening in said floor having a diameter equal toapproximately one-third of the diameter of said lower dish;

an inwardly extending coaming on said central circular opening, saidcoaming being curved and faired into said floor;

an axial spline in said edge portion;

four speed nuts placed at equally spaced locations on the edge of saidedge portion;

an upper dish made of the same material as said lower dish and havingthe same thickness, said upper dish having a flat roof and a cylindricalwall having the same radius as that of said edge portion of the lowerdish;

a cylindrical edge flange of said upper dish wall having an innerdiameter greater than the outer diameter of said edge portion;

a central circular opening in said roof having the same diameter as theopening in said lower dish;

an outwardly extending coaming on said central circular opening of theupper dish, said coaming being curved or faired into said roof;

an axial slot in the inner surface of said edge flange; and

four holes placed equidistantly around said edge flange and bearing thesame angular relation to said slot as the four speed nuts on the lowerdish bear to the spline, whereby when the upper dish is placed on thelower dish, with slotfitting spline, the four holes in the upper dishregister with the four speed nuts on the lower dish.

1. A wire dispenser comprising: a lower circular dish having a floor, acylindrical wall and a central aperture, said aperture having aninwardly extending coaming; an upper circular dish having a roof, acylindrical wall and a central aperture, said aperture having anoutwardly extending coaming, said cylindrical wall having an edge flangewith an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the edge ofsaid lower dish and in which the wall of the upper dish meets said edgeflange to form a circular shoulder having inner and outer diametersequal to the respective inner and outer diameters of the wall of saidlower dish at its edge; and means for fastening said upper dish, concavedownward, onto said lower dish in a concave upward position.
 2. A wiredispenser in accordance with claim 1 in which the edge of the wall ofsaid lower dish is expanded into a cylindrical edge portion having adiameter greater than that of the wall.
 3. A wire dispenser inaccordance with claim 2 in which said cylindrical edge portion containsan external axial spline and in which said edge flange of the upper dishcontains an internal slot matching said spline.
 4. A wire dispenser inaccordance with claim 1 in which said central apertures in lower andupper dishes are circular and have the same diameters.
 5. A wiredispenser in accordance with claim 1 in which said means for fasteningcomprises a plurality of speed nuts and matching machine screws.
 6. Awire dispenser in accordance with claim 1 in which the upper and lowerdishes are made of a moldable plastic material having a high impactstrength and having negligible memory.
 7. A wire dispenser comprising alower dish made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene having a thickness inthe range 0.078 inch to 0.125 inch, said dish having a flat floor and acylindrical wall having a selected inner radius; a cylindrical edgeportion of said wall having an inner radius exceeding said selectedradius; a central circular opening in said floor having a diameter equalto approximately one-third of the diameter of said lower dish; aninwardly extending coaming on said central circular opening, saidcoaming being curved and faired into said floor; an axial spline in saidedge portion; four speed nuts placed at equally spaced locations on theedge of said edge portion; an upper dish made of the same material assaid lower dish and having the same thickness, said upper dish having aflat roof and a cylindrical wall having the same radius as that of saidedge portion of the lower dish; a cylindrical edge flange of said upperdish wall having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter ofsaid edge portion; a central circular opening in said roof having thesame diameter as the opening in said lower dish; an outwardly extendingcoaming on said central circular opening of the upper dish, said coamingbeing curved or faired into said roof; an axial slot in the innersurface of said edge flangE; and four holes placed equidistantly aroundsaid edge flange and bearing the same angular relation to said slot asthe four speed nuts on the lower dish bear to the spline, whereby whenthe upper dish is placed on the lower dish, with slot-fitting spline,the four holes in the upper dish register with the four speed nuts onthe lower dish.